Roger Federer has beaten Robin Soderling at the U.S. Open tennis to reach a 22nd consecutive Grand Slam semifinal.
Federer improved to 12-0 against the 12th-seeded Soderling by winning 6-0, 6-3, 6-7 (6), 7-6 (6) Wednesday night.
Federer has won 39 consecutive matches at the American Grand Slam tournament, where he is trying to become the first man since Bill Tilden in the 1920s to win six titles in a row.
In Saturday’s semifinals, Federer will play No. 4 Novak Djokovic. Federer beat Djokovic in the 2007 final and 2008 semifinals at Flushing Meadows.
Federer last failed to reach the semifinals at a major tournament when he lost in the third round of the 2004 French Open. No other man ever had a Grand Slam semifinal streak longer than 10.
Melanie Oudin's surprising story ended Wednesday night with a 6-2, 6-2 loss to No. 9-seeded Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark.
With impressive court coverage and solid groundstrokes, the 5-foot-6 height Oudin knocked off four more established players—including three-time major champion Maria Sharapova and Beijing Olympic gold medalist Elena Dementieva—to become the youngest quarterfinalist at Flushing Meadows since Serena Williams in 1999.
Making the tale even better: Oudin’s last three victories each came after she dropped the first set. Plus, there was her wide-eyed, age-appropriate attitude: Everything was “cool” and “awesome,” including meeting Roger Federer for the first time and finally getting to shake hands with Sharapova— only after beating her, of course.
Stadium security was bulked up for Wednesday night’s matches at the U.S. Open, a day after a man was arrested for running onto the court to kiss Rafael Nadal.
The total number of on-court private security personnel—guards and supervisors—was being increased from six to nine because of what happened Tuesday night.
Prosecutors said Noam U. Aorta of New York City dashed out of the stands at Arthur Ashe Stadium after Nadal’s fourth-round win, then hugged and kissed the Spanish star as he was changing shirts on the sideline.
Aorta will be charged with trespassing and faces possible jail time if convicted, prosecutors said.
“There was a breakdown,” U.S. Open spokesman Chris Widmaier said.
Nadal, for his part, laughed off the episode, saying: “For me, it wasn’t a problem. The guy was really nice. He said, ‘I love you,’ and he kissed me.”
District Attorney Richard Brown, however, called it “particularly disturbing” because Aorta made physical contact with Nadal. Brown noted that Monica Seles was stabbed in the back in 1993 by a spectator on a tennis court in Hamburg, Germany.
Aorta, 23, of Queens, will be charged with third-degree criminal trespass and interfering with a professional sporting event, prosecutors said. If convicted, he faces a maximum one year in jail and $5,000 in fines.
Attorney information for Aorta wasn’t immediately available.
US open tennis 2009 results
Men's Quarterfinals result
Roger Federer (1) def. Robin Soderling (12) 6-0, 6-3, 6-7 (6-8), 7-6 (8-6)
Novak Djokovic (4) def. Fernando Verdasco (10) 7-6 (7-2), 1-6, 7-5, 6-2
US open tennis 2009 results
women's Quarterfinals result
Serena Williams (2) def. Flavia Pennetta (10) 6-4, 6-3
Caroline Wozniacki (9) def. Melanie Oudin 6-2, 6-2
Kim Clijsters def. Na Li (18) 6-2, 6-4
Yanina Wickmayer def. Kateryna Bondarenko 7-5, 6-4
